1st Edition

Restorative Redevelopment of Devastated Ecocultural Landscapes

By Robert L. France Copyright 2010
    528 Pages 208 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    A fusion of ecological restoration and sustainable development, restorative redevelopment represents an emerging paradigm for remediating landscapes. Rather than merely fixing the broken bits and pieces of nature, restorative development advocates the reuse of devastated landscapes to improve the value and livability of a location for humans at the same time as effectively reinstating natural processes and functions. Restorative Redevelopment of Devastated Ecocultural Landscapes explores the use of this approach to address the long-term, sustainable reparation of the fabled marshlands of southern Iraq destroyed by Saddam Hussein, as well as numerous examples of other ecologically sensitive regions.

    Case studies presented include:

    • Southern marshlands Iraq
    • Hula swamp, Israel
    • Azraq Oasis, Jordan
    • Las Vegas Wash, USA
    • Xochimilco, Mexico
    • Pantanal, Brazil
    • Clark County Wetlands Park, USA
    • Tonle Sap, Cambodia
    • Lake Titicaca, Peru
    • Nature Reserves, Jordan

    The book reviews successfully-implemented and celebrated case studies from more than 15 countries around the world which, either in whole or in part, can offer valuable insight into the restorative development of the Iraqi marshlands as well as other devastated ecocultural landscapes. It presents practical approaches for sustaining the process of restoration efforts, both during and after the reparation work has been accomplished. The editor suggests solutions targeted for Iraq but that also have resonance in other regions devastated by conflict and natural disasters. He takes a synoptic or cross-system approach to problem solving when repairing large-scale landscapes that have been devastated by conflict or natural disasters such as tsunami-damaged Indonesia and earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

    BACKGROUND
    Environmental Restoration Theory and Practice

    Restoration: Philosophical and Political Contexts, E.V. Spelman
    Restoration, Ecological Citizenry, and Ziggurat Building in Iraq, R. France
    Restoring Babylon: Leaving a Better Iraq for This Century of Revitalization, S. Cunningham
    Environmental Planning Theory and Practice
    Before the Master Plan: A Framework and Some Difficult Questions for Regional Land Use Planning, C. Steinitz
    Control Models of Tourism Development and Conservation Management with Respect to Indigenous Culture, S.-Y. Lu
    Desert Wetland Restorations
    Wetlands Lost and Found in the Levant, R. France
    Rehabilitation of a Historic Wetland: Jordan’s Azraq Oasis, R. France
    Integrated Restoration and Adaptive Management of the Las Vegas Wash, R. France

    WETLANDS AND NATURE RESERVES
    Ecosystems
    Hydrology and Wetland Restoration for Human Subsistence and Regional Biodiversity: The Challenge to Restore the Living Landscape of Iraq’s Mesopotamian Marshes of Iraq, S.I. Apfelbaum and J.P. Ludwig
    Rebuilding Wetlands and Waterfowl Resources in North and South America: Importance of Capacity Building and Landscape Perspective, R. France
    People
    Preservation, Rehabilitation, and Management of Heritage Wetlands in Mexico, R. France
    Involving People in Science and Sustainability in the Pantanal Wetlands of Brazil, R. France
    Planning and Development of a Desert Wetland Park in the United States, R. France
    Living over Water: Introduction to Ecotourism Development Concerns for the Tonle Sap, Cambodia, and Lake Titicaca, Peru, R. France and E. Syariffudin
    Ecology and Economics
    Ecotourism, Local Economy, and Ecological Strategies in Planning Nature Reserves in Panama, R. France
    Sustainable Development and Nature Conservation in Jordan, R. France

    INNOVATIVE APPROACHES AND TECHNOLOGIES
    Transportation Planning and Design
    Transportation Corridors as Vehicles for Cultural and Ecological Regeneration, I. Jones, R. Senos, I. Luters and R. France
    Alternative Wasterwater Treatment, Reuse, and Infrstructure
    Linking Water Treatment with Wetland Restoration: Engineering Challenges and Associated Benefits, R. France
    Advanced Ecotechnology for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, D. Austin
    Infrastructure Models for Ecological Wastewater Management, S. Wallace
    Agriculture and Water Management
    Salinity Management in Arid Regions: Lessons for Iraq from the Western United States, R. France
    Managing Scarce Water Resources in Agriculture in West Asia and North Africa, T.Y. Oweis and A.Y. Hachum
    Epilogue: Cambodia’s Institutional Frameworks for Ecocultural Restorative Redevelopment: Introduction to Optimistic Management Models Useful for Iraq, R. France
    Index

    Biography

    Robert France is Associate Professor of Landscape Ecology at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design where he began teaching in the Fall of 1997. France has authored numerous papers on the ecology and conservation biology of organism from bacteria and algae to birds and whales, on research topics from environmental pollution to theoretical biodiversity, and in locations ranging from the High Arctic to the tropics. France is a recently appointed series editor for Lewis/CRC Press on the topic Integrative Studies in Water Management and Land Development.